February 17, noon.
The Akatsuki delegation had arrived at the location designated for the peace talks.
Just like the location Hanzo chose in the original timeline, it was the same massive canyon where Yahiko had been driven to suicide and Nagato's legs were shattered by explosions. Shaped like the kanji for "river" ($\text{川}$), the canyon split into two parallel ravines. The outer ravine served as a floodway for rushing water, while the inner ravine was relatively dry, serving as the meeting ground for both parties.
Dark clouds hung heavy in the sky as a fine, dense curtain of rain pattered down. The rain lashed against the unyielding stone cliffs, kicking up a layer of frigid mist that drifted across the top of the canyon and over the turbulent waters below.
Upon their arrival, the Akatsuki members were met with a suspension bridge made of iron chains, spanning the nearly vertical stone cliffs of the first ravine. Two Amegakure ninja stood guard on the far side. Beyond the bridge, down at the bottom of the canyon, lay the designated site for the negotiation.
Stepping onto the site, Hyuga Yu immediately activated his Byakugan. Taking in a god's-eye view of the entire river-shaped canyon, he scanned the area. On the surface, everything seemed perfectly normal.
Just as Yahiko had informed him on the journey over, both Akatsuki and Hanzo had brought exactly fifty men each to participate as witnesses to the treaty. Hanzo and his fifty subordinates were already waiting quietly on the left side of the second ravine's floor.
In the original timeline, Hanzo had stood atop the canyon cliffs, using Konan's life to leverage Yahiko into committing suicide. This time, however, the butterfly effect of Hyuga Yu's involvement had changed things. Yahiko had gathered a massive following much earlier, making Hanzo hesitant to strike blindly. As a result, Hanzo had refrained from taking any preemptive hostile actions.
Because of this, Konan had escaped capture entirely. Hanzo had played it safe, positioning himself at the bottom of the canyon to project an aura of equal status and diplomatic sincerity.
Yet, this "normalcy" was purely superficial. Three days prior, Yu had received intelligence confirming that Hanzo had effectively colluded with Iwagakure, and a massive cache of war provisions had already been transported to this very location. Yu was looking for those supplies—and he was also looking for people.
Thanks to his recent bloodline evolution, his enhanced eye power had significantly boosted his Byakugan's perception, allowing him to perceive phenomena that would have previously eluded him. It didn't take long for him to spot several anomalies.
Massive barriers lay concealed deep within the rock walls at the bottom of the second ravine. Tucked inside several natural caverns along the cliffside were faint, black-robed figures using the terrain for cover. Approximately 150 meters beneath the earth, a pale, white figure enveloped in a flytrap-like shroud lurked in silence. And then...
Yu's gaze shifted to the top of a distant cliff—a perfect vantage point overlooking the entire scene. There, the air itself was visibly warped by a bizarre energy. Even though his eyes told him something was standing there, his Byakugan was utterly unable to discern its exact shape or form.
This distortion... it was a manifestation of the very same force he had only truly come to understand a week ago upon awakening his new ocular jutsu: eye power.
"Well, this place is turning out to be quite a crowd..." Yu narrowed his eyes, sweeping his vision across the canyon once more. He didn't immediately spot the location of the Iwagakure delegates, so he suppressed his growing impatience, maintained a calm expression, and followed the squad to the edge of the chain bridge.
Catching Yu's low murmur, Yahiko immediately raised his hand, signaling the column to halt.
He turned his head to look at Yu. "Asuka, are you saying... there's an ambush?"
"It would be a miracle if there wasn't an ambush," Yu replied, looking at him with a mix of amusement and disbelief. He scoffed, "Don't tell me you actually believe Hanzo—who has already crawled into bed with Iwagakure—is just going to hand over half of the Land of Rain's authority just because you asked nicely?"
Yahiko offered a faint smile. "Of course I'm not that naive." Then, his expression hardened, and his voice turned resolute. "I have a plan of my own."
Intrigued by his confidence, Yu asked out of curiosity, "So, you've already prepared yourself?"
He was asking if Yahiko was truly prepared to unleash the power of Nagato's Rinnegan—even if doing so would exact a terrible toll on Nagato. Yet, that was the only real card Akatsuki had left to play.
Though Yu had casually promised to make Yahiko the ruler of this nation, Yahiko couldn't bring himself to take words spoken under those circumstances entirely at face value. Nor could he treat their prior agreement—to protect Yu for a single month—as the true foundation for a legitimate alliance between Konoha and Akatsuki.
In his eyes, Yu's attitude toward Akatsuki had always been detached and noncommittal. To Yu, Akatsuki was an option, but if they fell, Konoha could just as easily find someone else to govern the Land of Rain.
That was the luxury of a Great Nation. But for shinobi of a minor country who desperately wanted to pioneer real change, heal their land, and usher in genuine peace, there was only one path forward. Yahiko had to show Konoha—he had to show Asuka—that Akatsuki was far more worthy of an alliance than Hanzo or anyone else.
Yahiko tilted his head back slightly, watching the thin silver lines of rain pour from the bleak sky. He took a deep, steadying breath and said softly, "I need to find out if Hanzo is still the same Demi-God of the Shinobi World—the man who once dedicated his entire life to this nation."
Hearing this, Yu realized that Yahiko had completely misread him and hadn't taken his earlier promises seriously. He found it somewhat ironical, but he didn't bother correcting the misconception. He simply asked, "And if the Demi-God is no longer the man you remember?"
Without a shred of hesitation, Yahiko replied, "Then Akatsuki will become the new Demi-God!"
The moment those words left Yahiko's mouth, Yu suddenly detected a bizarre resonance rippling simultaneously through Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, and even the fifty Amegakure shinobi standing behind them.
Shifting his Byakugan's focus, he examined the fifty Akatsuki members behind him. Instantly, his eyes locked onto a strikingly familiar set of objects. Every single person carried four pitch-black, rod-like implements, each roughly twenty centimeters long...
They were unmistakably the black receivers forged from the Rinnegan's Yin-Yang Style—the very rods used to transmit chakra and control the Six Paths of Pain!
Yu's head snapped back as he stared directly at Nagato.
These Yin-Yang Style black receivers were instruments left behind by Madara Uchiha within the Gedo Mazo (Demonic Statue of the Outer Path) before his death. They were designed to drain a host's chakra to grant them control over the colossus. Possessing these rods and the ability to manifest them meant only one thing: Nagato had already successfully completed his first summoning of the Gedo Mazo!
Yet, what baffled Yu was the lack of consequences. In the canon timeline, summoning the Gedo Mazo for the first time had left Nagato's back impaled with numerous black rods, permanently draining his chakra and life force.
But right now, Nagato looked perfectly fine. He was healthy, brisk on his feet, and brimming with vitality. There wasn't the slightest hint of the emaciated, physically ruined state that usually resulted from bearing the crushing burden of the Rinnegan and the Demonic Statue.
Yu peered deeper with his Byakugan, tracking their chakra pathways and spiritual flow. The fifty subordinates Yahiko had brought were a mixed bag of Genin, Chunin, and Jonin. The elemental affinities and behavioral markers left behind by their respective jutsu training showed absolutely no uniformity.
On paper, they looked like a ragtag militia thrown together at random, entirely incapable of tactical coordination. However, they shared one undeniable trait: every single one of them possessed an exceptionally large pool of natural chakra. Furthermore, the intensity in their eyes was perfectly synchronized, reflecting an absolute, unshakeable devotion to Yahiko's ideology.
Fueled by this shared mental frequency, their collective chakra was actively circulating between them via the four black receivers embedded in their bodies. They had essentially merged into a singular, interconnected collective.
It was reminiscent of a hive mind. Rather than an organization or a faction, they functioned as a single, macro-organism. It wasn't that they lacked individuality, but rather that their intense, shared convictions allowed them to perfectly understand one another. Their chakra flowed freely across the network, distributing the physical toll across fifty bodies. Every movement was an extension of this collective consciousness—like limbs operating under one brain.
When Yu looked back at Yahiko, his Byakugan no longer saw an isolated individual. Instead, he saw the nexus of a massive energetic web—a singular entity anchoring the fused chakra of fifty-four people.
The chakra radiating from Yahiko was so immense it resembled an artificial sun. Fifty-four unified wills coalesced within him, burning with an almost transcendent, non-human brilliance.
Yu narrowed his eyes. While this power couldn't threaten him just yet, he could clearly see the embryonic form of something truly monstrous beginning to take shape.
Is this... the true essence of Ninshu? Yu marveled internally.
Seriously, Yahiko behaves more like Asura than Asura himself ever did.
While Yu had been preoccupied with his own training, Yahiko, inspired by Yu's earlier insights, hadn't been idle either. In this altered timeline where he wasn't driven to suicide, he had steered Akatsuki down an entirely different path.
Choosing not to comment on Yahiko's lofty declarations of godhood, Yu simply shifted into gear and stepped onto the creaking iron suspension bridge, heading toward the negotiation grounds. Seeing him move, the Akatsuki contingent fell into step right behind Yahiko, maintaining a tight formation.
Yahiko growing stronger suited Yu's plans perfectly. It meant he wouldn't have to play babysitter, granting him the operational freedom to maneuver during these peace talks—talks he knew were guaranteed to collapse anyway.
The group marched for half an hour, navigating across the suspension bridge and traversing the rugged clifftops. They wound their way down a treacherous, single-file path carved into the rock face without guardrails, finally stepping onto the canyon floor—a rocky terrain heavily rigged with hidden paper bombs.
The two factions scheduled for the peace talks finally stood face-to-face.
On one side stood Hanzo and his fifty-odd Amegakure shinobi. They remained completely stationary, offering no gesture of welcome. Positioned roughly a kilometer away behind a raised banner and a diplomatic table, they watched the approaching group with icy detachment.
On the opposing side was the Akatsuki delegation, fifty-five strong, spearheading the advance with Yahiko and Hyuga Yu at the front.
Curiously, neither side displayed the relief or optimism typical of an impending peace accord. Instead, a palpable tension gripped every individual as they locked eyes, watching the distance between them steadily shrink.
Once the gap closed to a hundred meters, the figure behind the table finally broke the silence. Towering and broad-shared, clad in the standard grey flak jacket and black bodysuit of the Hidden Rain, his face obscured by his signature respirator, Hanzo of the Salamander—the Demi-God of the Land of Rain—spoke.
"Halt right there." Hanzo fixed a cold, indifferent glare on Yahiko, though a fleeting look of internal conflict crossed his features. "Your organization has become an immense thorn in my side. Especially you, Yahiko!"
"I have absolutely no intention of negotiating peace with you! Turn around right now. Return to the towns you occupy and prepare for war against me—for that is the only true path to lasting peace in the Land of Rain!"
Yahiko didn't back down. Instead of retreating under Hanzo's intimidation, he took a step forward and asked, "Lord Hanzo, did you receive my letter?"
"A letter?" Hanzo paused, a flicker of memory crossing his face before settling into a complicated expression. He quickly snapped back coldly, "You mean that absurdly naive petition?"
"Don't make me laugh! How could I ever hand over the future of the Land of Rain to a wet-behind-the-ears brat like you?"
Ignoring Hanzo's defensive rejection, Yahiko pressed on, his face deadpan and resolute. "Lord Hanzo... that means you did read it! Since you read it and are intentionally telling us to leave now, it proves you understand exactly what I'm proposing. This is the perfect opportunity to cast aside our past grievances and find mutual understanding!"
Hanzo's expression darkened. His eyes flickered subtly toward the adjacent cliff wall before he barked, "Enough of this nonsense!"
"We aren't joking!" Yahiko countered passionately. "I want you to form an alliance with Konoha, placing Akatsuki at the core of the coalition, and support Konoha in winning the upcoming secondary peace talks with Iwagakure next month! This is the only way left to ensure the survival of the Land of Rain!"
"Ever since Asuka arrived on the scene, the balance of power across the shinobi world has been completely rewritten. Konoha doesn't even need the Land of Rain's strength anymore! Anyone approaching you right now, trying to instigate you to fight Konoha, is the real enemy trying to bring about our nation's ruin!"
"Lord Hanzo!" Yahiko pleaded, his eyes locked onto the towering figure across the field. Under the weight of his earnest words, that grand figure seemed to slouch under immense pressure. "You still have a chance right now! If you agree to these terms, we can still fix this! But if you wait until Asuka is forced to take matters into his own hands, there will be no turning back!"
Hearing Yahiko's heartfelt appeal, Hanzo—who had guided this war-torn country through the bleak landscape of the Third Shinobi World War for years—understood the geopolitical reality perfectly. He clenched his fist tightly, his face contorting in an agonizing internal struggle.
Sensing a breakthrough, a spark of hope lit up Yahiko's face. He took two steps closer, eager to press his point.
However, just at this time—
"Asuka?"
"You mean that little Hyuga brat standing next to you who hasn't even hit his fourteenth birthday?!"
Suddenly, a deep, booming voice echoed from atop the cliff sides.
"You're actually counting on a pathetic whelp who can barely save his own skin to back you up? You people are so hopelessly naive it's making me laugh! Hahahahahahaha!"
Down below, Hyuga Yu—who had remained entirely silent while observing the unfolding drama—suddenly brightened. He snapped his head up toward the clifftop. Standing backlit against the grey sky was a massive, round-faced shinobi towering at over two meters tall. He wore the standard brown flak jacket over the red uniform of Iwagakure, completed by a Stone village forehead protector tied like a bandana. He stepped forward into view, laughing uproariously.
It was none other than Kitsuchi!
Instantly, a string of zeroes popped up over Kitsuchi's head in Yu's vision. A hypothetical chime echoed in his mind, sounding suspiciously like a dynamic notification: Ding! You have received a transfer of 300 million Ryo!
The son of the Third Tsuchikage, Ohnoki, and completely intact. Extorting—cough, I mean, negotiating a trade-in with Ohnoki for three hundred million Ryo shouldn't be a problem at all, right?
Yu's eyes practically turned green with greed. Literally.
With Kitsuchi's arrival, the tense atmosphere on the canyon floor instantly fractured.
Hanzo exhaled a long, heavy sigh. The conflict that had briefly softened his face vanished, replaced by an iron-cold finality. He locked his eyes onto Yahiko and Yu. "I... never had a choice to begin with!"
"Yahiko! You can lecture me on your childish ideals in the next life!"
The instant the words left his mouth, Hanzo brought his hands together in a sharp clap. His eyes burned with unadulterated killing intent.
"Fire Style: Exploding Flame Formation!"
Simultaneously, high up on the cliffside, Kitsuchi's fingers blurred through hand seals. He ignored Yahiko entirely, his cold glare fixed on Yu—who was beaming back at him with a disturbingly radiant grin. Kitsuchi slammed his palms flat against the stone.
"Earth Style: Sandwiching Technique!"
In a single heartbeat, the foundations of the canyon convulsed violently as the very mountains roared to life!
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